Thermal recording method and apparatus varying the number of auxiliary heating pulses based on the length of time between recording operations

Abstract

A recording apparatus for recording on a recording medium includes plural heat generation-activated recording elements, and a discrimination circuit for discriminating the waiting time between the termination of a first recording operation and beginning of a second recording operation. Control circuitry is provided for varying, in accordance with the waiting time, the number of auxiliary heat generation operations for the recording elements in order to heat the elements to a temperature which is lower than a recording temperature and insufficient to perform recording.

Claims

1. An image communication apparatus, comprising:

reading means for reading data corresponding to an original image;

receiving means for receiving data transmitted from other image communication apparatus;

recording means for recording an image on a recording medium by driving plural heat generation-activated recording elements in accordance with the data received by said receiving means or the data read by said reading means in accordance with an input of a recording command;

determining means for determining a maximum number of auxiliary heat generation operations to be performed between a recording operation by said recording means and a next recording operation by said recording means, said determining means determining the maximum number of auxiliary heat generation operations so that the maximum number at a facsimile mode for recording the image corresponding to data transmitted through a predetermined communication mode is larger than that at a copy mode for recording data read by said reading means at a predetermined magnification;

counting means for counting an execution number of auxiliary heat generation operations executed between a recording operation and a next recording operation; and

control means for controlling said recording means to execute the auxiliary heat generation operations between a termination of said recording operation and a commencement of said next recording operation,

wherein said control means ceases execution of additional auxiliary heat generation operations by inputting the recording command for the next recording operation until said counting means counts the maximum number, and ceases the execution of additional auxiliary heat generation operations without an input of the recording command for the next recording operation after said counting means counts the maximum number.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said determining means further differentiates the maximum number of auxiliary heat generation operations in accordance with a communication mode of the data transmitted from the other image communication apparatus at said facsimile mode.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said determining means further differentiates the maximum number of auxiliary heat generation operations in accordance with a copying magnification at said copying mode.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said recording means drives said heat-generation-activated recording elements to perform recording on a thermosensitive paper.